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Parents, school administrators and children have to work together for the comprehensive physical development of children, educationists say. In building a wholesome all around child, compassion, love integrity, cleanliness and above all discipline play key roles in achieving this goal.

“As children grow, at Kampala Parents’ School, we emphasize three important domains, these are: Affective, Cognitive and Psycho-social stage. Affective deals with spiritual emotions. Cognitive is to do with mental process including how people think, perceive, remember and learn. Psycho-social stage is all about developing muscles. Learning is developed by physical skills such as movement, coordination and manipulation.

“In order for the mentioned domains to be realized, the triangular working relationship has to be focused. The parents, the staff and children have to work together to achieve the required goals. Furthermore, in building a wholesome all around child, compassion, love integrity, cleanliness and above all discipline. We believe that discipline is the key to success. We train our children to observe all of them.

“At Kampala Parents’ School, we believe that learning through play works because children are more likely to remember lessons if they enjoy them, and they are more likely to show enthusiasm for learning if they have fun at school.

“For example, if children learn about the planets by singing a fun song about them, they will likely remember that song and the information they learned. Ongoing research also shows that playful teachers can increase their students’ long-term academic performance.

Our highly trained teachers collaborate with parents to nurture children into respectful, confident and joyful learners. Through ongoing communication, parents and teachers can help each child become fully prepared for and excited about kindergarten.

Our approach is grounded in accepted research on how children learn best. Children experience the deepest, most genuine learning through play and fun activities lovingly guided by highly trained teachers.

Kampala Parents’ School is co-led by an education director who work together with teachers to make sure every family has a wonderful experience. This distinctive model also ensures children are known and appreciated for their individual gifts and personalities.

Young children who learn through play are more capable of making their own decisions, advocating for themselves and using creativity to solve problems as they grow. During play, children link old thoughts with new, build new experiences and access knowledge.”

Ugandan ICT students who were recently flagged off by Hon. Dr. JC Muyingo to China complete their technological training known as Huawei Seeds for the Future program. The two weeks training was held in Beijing, the capital city of China, and Shenzhen, where Huawei headquarter is located.

The Seeds for the Future program was started globally in 2008 by Huawei to nurture professionals who are urgently needed to drive development of the ICT industry in countries where it operates. The 10 talents who concluded the training were selected by the Ministry of Education and Sports in patnership with Huawei. These werethen flagged off to China on 29thMay 2017 at Makerere University Main Building Hall.

The 10 Students who took part in this training from the various universities of Uganda such as Makerere, Muni, Lira, Gulu, Mbarara, Busitema and Kyambogo featured as Uganda Seeds for the Future 2017. These were trained in the Chinese language (Mandarin), Chinese culture, Chinese calligraphy and painting among others in Beijing from 3rd to 9th June.

They then travelled to Shenzhen, Huawei’s Headquarter where they had training in telecom networks, cloud computing, Internet of Things, road to 5G, how to build base stations, a voyage through Huawei’s Carrier Business, a voyage through Huawei’s Enterprise Business and trainings on how to be a network engineer among others.

Speaking at the Students visit to the Uganda High Commission in Beijing, Col. Emmanuel Rwashande the Defence Attaché of the Commission commended Huawei for the efforts of exposing the young ICT talents of Uganda to the latest technologies.

“I humbly request Huawei to continue with this great work and also widen the scope of training to create more impact to Uganda’s development,” he added.

Sharon Judith Lalam from Gulu University narrates her experience from the Seeds for the Future; “First and foremost, I thank Huawei for its efforts in enriching our lives through the “Seed for the Future program.” I have had a great experience in China for the two weeks under this programme.

Through tourist visits to the Great Wall, the cultural village and the museum, I have enjoyed a lot, learnt the Chinese culture and many more things. Lectures at Beijing Language and Cultural University and at Huawei Headquarter in Shenzhen, taught us a lot of technological things like configuring 4G network, visiting exhibition hall which taught us how we can implement our ideas and many more.”

The demand for reliable, affordable and accessible energy that meets the needs of the present generation in an increasing one as demand to reduce poverty, improve health, increase productivity and promote economic growth, this has already reached desperate levels due to challenges of energy insecurity. While assessing the current energy options, debates on whether nuclear energy offers the best alternative to satisfy the needs of the world’s energy demands or will end up as an energy that resulted into extinction of humanity on earth.

While the debate goes on, recently the government of Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russia rolling out plans to exploit Uganda’s Uranium, a resource used to produce nuclear energy resources. If all goes as planned, Uganda will become among the first African country to exploit nuclear energy in recent times.

According to Surveys from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda has about 52,000 square kilometers (sq. km) of Uranium deposits, with 22,000 sq. kilometers in the Lake Albert region, 18,000 sq. kilometers in Buganda and Tooro regions, and 12,000 sq. km in Karagwe-Ankole.

With the challenges of climate change and energy insecurity around the world, Nuclear energy has the potential to generate the much-needed energy with small amount of uranium to power the world to secure energy future. In fact, due to its efficiency and abidance in nature, it has the potential to solve the worlds energy challenges and contribute to mitigating climate change, its emits less or no greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as compared to other non-renewable energy sources.

However, to sustainably it, more advanced technology must be employed with advanced precautionary measures employed because in the event of an accident, radioactive material from Uranium could be released into the environment and its waste can remain radioactive and hazardous to health for thousands of years with visible impacts across generations.

Despite the facts that it’s the energy for 21st century, it has been characterized by a number of disasters that have left people worse off than they were. For instance, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) a an American based humanitarian organisation estimates that the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine displaced nearly 220,000 people from their homes, and the radioactive fallout from the accident destroyed 4,440 square kilometers of agricultural land and 6,820 square kilometers of forests in Belarus and Ukraine were unusable. Further, the Fukushima nuclear accidents of 2011 that was caused by a powerful earthquake and Tsunami killed more than 20,000 lives and affected different sectors of the economy.

If we consider developing nuclear energy, it is important for government to borrow lessons from the best countries, invest heavily on advanced technology and built competent human resource with capacity to contain any adverse effects the plant may have on the environment.

Otherwise, it is clear that renewable energy technology including solar, wind, geothermal, hydro energy among others offer the best alternatives and are safe to both environment and people and have the potential to power the world into an energy secure future.

By Samuel Okulony

Programmes and Research Coordinator (Environmentalist)

Africa Institute for Energy Governance

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The National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) has trained over 160 enrollment officers in the Albertine grabben area to help in the mass registration of school children from the age of 5-16 years in both primary, secondary and tertiary institutions whether Ugandans or not.

Herbert Katende the Hoima district information technology officer in an interview at Rivera Hoteri in Hoima told Earthfinds that the purpose of training these enrollment officers is to help capture data of children in the age bracket that is not currently recorded in the national registry data bank.

Katende says that the enrolment officers are from Hoima district and are being empowered with practical use of laptops, cameras and other gadgets they are going to use through a period of three month.

Katende requested the enrollment officers to work hand in hand with head teachers of the schools in order to make this exercise successful because it’s very important for teachers, parents and the children.

Katende warned enrollment officers to keep the gadgets and protect them safely because they are government property and if they get lost in their hands they will be taken to police to answer the charges. He cautioned the people who are going into this exercise to avoid social media networks like WhatsApp and Facebook and concentrate on the work they designed to do.

The mass registration of children aged between 5 and 16 years for the national identity card project was launched in Bunyoro region recently. The launch held at Glory Summit Hoteri in Hoima and was attended by leaders from 9 districts of Bunyoro in preparation for the exercise which will cover all primary and secondary schools across the country.

The registration is an undertaking by the National Identification Registration Authority, a government entity mandated to register births and deaths in the country and to develop a National Identification Register for both citizens and legal residents.

Hon. Nansubuga R. Seninde who was the guest of honor at the launch told Earthinds that the exercise is aimed at capturing data of children in the age bracket that is not currently recorded in the national registry data bank.

Nansubuga says that pupils will however not be given National Identity cards. Instead, they will be given a national identification number which will be used for the issuance of a National ID once they turn 16. During the initial registration in 2014, the authority captured data for citizens aged above 16.

Nansubuga the state minister of primary education said that the registration will also support proper planning in schools where government has been losing two billion Shillings annually due to the presence of ghost pupils.

She reminded parents and all stakeholders to take children to licensed schools. Nansubuga says that pupils and students who will miss out on the registration process will not be allowed to sit for final exams at different levels of education.